“Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life.”

The second of the maxims in 📕 The Principles of Psychology, chapter IV - Habit, which James takes from Alexander Bain. He compares each lapse to dropping a ball of string you are winding: one slip undoes many turns.

It is a fine image and I think it is wrong, or at least too strict. The Lally study found that missing a single opportunity did not noticeably set back the forming of a habit. So my version is in 💎 One missed day does not break a habit: one miss is noise, two in a row are a decision.

I kept the quote the day after reading it, two days into 🧪 Walk first, write second, because a rule I argue with is still one I remember.

My verdict: agree in part. Guard the first weeks, yes. Treat one lapse as the end, no.